It is a known issue that some routers' default settings do not allow the Chromecast to work. That is why Google maintains a router compatibility list of routers that are known to work with Chromecast by default:

Notice that some routers on the list do not support Chromecast by default and you have to change certain advanced settings to get it to work.

Ah, I see what it is... it's not the Chromecast getting out, it's the phone communicating with the chromecast. It uses multicast and some routers aren't allowing multicast between devices on the network, or aren't doing it properly. Which is preventing the phone from either communicating commands or, more likely, scanning the network for available chromecast devices.

That makes a lot more sense than what I was thinking before...

Quote:

I have not found this to be true. I have the Roku 3 and it is very fast and responsive. As for the remote, I don't have a smartphone, so what else besides a remote would I be using?

Right. So, having a smart phone would be step 1. And once you have a smart phone, navigating with the smart phone is much easier than using a remote, even on a responsive device. Remotes are just more clunky than smart phones when navigating online video and audio services.

Right. So, having a smart phone would be step 1. And once you have a smart phone, navigating with the smart phone is much easier than using a remote, even on a responsive device. Remotes are just more clunky than smart phones when navigating online video and audio services.

I beg to differ. I have the apps for all my devices, and I RARELY use them for direct control. I used to use the iOS app for typing on TiVo before I got a Slide Pro. Other than that, they are pretty useless. I don't want to drain down my iPhone, or have it's bright screen on, or have no physical buttons when I'm trying to watch something. Dedicated remotes are here to stay. Smartphones are a total kludge for most remote control applications. I could see the usefulness if they offer better catalog navigation, but once you find what you want, back to the physical remote... However, in most cases, I can just look up what I want online, and then use the physical remote to search for it. Also, I use the TiVo app a lot for scheduling, but not for direct control...

Yeah, wow. That's kind of messed up. I would write lots of angry letters to Comcast over that... it wouldn't help, but you know.

I can't figure out why they haven't gotten Roku to work... There's no obvious motive to block it if they support other devices, so I have to assume it's just plain incompetence... given that it's Comcast, I wouldn't be surprised.

I can't figure out why they haven't gotten Roku to work... There's no obvious motive to block it if they support other devices, so I have to assume it's just plain incompetence... given that it's Comcast, I wouldn't be surprised.

It's not just incompetence. Comcast executives have made a deliberate decision not to support anything on Roku. I remember reading some official statement from Comcast on the issue and it was intentionally vague and full of crap on why they haven't done it yet.

Yeah, the Comcast/Roku thing is really annoying. It's not just HBO GO. You can't access Showtime Anytime either. I originally thought that Comcast took this stance because they didn't want it to take away from their On Demand revenue, but now that they allow it on so many other devices, it's clearly not about that. I agree that it's probably a shakedown, and Roku refuses to cough up the dough.

In response to the comments about remotes, I'll take a well laid out hard button remote any day over a smartphone. I personally can't stand touch screen remotes. I like to be able to operate my remote by feel without looking at it. Give me something like this, and I'm truly happy:

It's not just incompetence. Comcast executives have made a deliberate decision not to support anything on Roku. I remember reading some official statement from Comcast on the issue and it was intentionally vague and full of crap on why they haven't done it yet.

Do they see it as some sort of threat to their video business? That the Apple TV isn't?

Do they see it as some sort of threat to their video business? That the Apple TV isn't?

My best guess is that Comcast wants to shake down any device manufacturer who wants Comcast customers to have access to the HBOGO app on their device, and Roku isn't willing to cough up the money. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the new Amazon FireTV to get the HBOGO app and how long it will take Comcast to allow their customers to use it.

My best guess is that Comcast wants to shake down any device manufacturer who wants Comcast customers to have access to the HBOGO app on their device, and Roku isn't willing to cough up the money. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the new Amazon FireTV to get the HBOGO app and how long it will take Comcast to allow their customers to use it.

That doesn't make any sense. My suspicion would be some arcane authentication system that they use has some issue with the way Roku authenticates and bunch of engineers at the two companies are in a standoff about who has to modify what to make it work... it's probably way more boring than the conspiracy theories you like to put forward...

That doesn't make any sense. My suspicion would be some arcane authentication system that they use has some issue with the way Roku authenticates and bunch of engineers at the two companies are in a standoff about who has to modify what to make it work... it's probably way more boring than the conspiracy theories you like to put forward...

That doesn't make any sense to me, as the HBOGO app authenticates through HBO, not directly through Comcast. Yes, HBO has to then turn around and get the authentication information from Comcast, but I'm pretty sure that if HBO can get the information from Comcast for AppleTVs, XBOXs, and Samsung Smart TV apps, that HBO could get it to activate a Roku app the exact same way if only Comcast would give its permission to do so.

I beg to differ. I have the apps for all my devices, and I RARELY use them for direct control. I used to use the iOS app for typing on TiVo before I got a Slide Pro. Other than that, they are pretty useless. I don't want to drain down my iPhone, or have it's bright screen on, or have no physical buttons when I'm trying to watch something. Dedicated remotes are here to stay. Smartphones are a total kludge for most remote control applications. I could see the usefulness if they offer better catalog navigation, but once you find what you want, back to the physical remote... However, in most cases, I can just look up what I want online, and then use the physical remote to search for it. Also, I use the TiVo app a lot for scheduling, but not for direct control...

Depends on the app, right? The TiVo App sucks because it's too many steps to get into it. The "boot-up" is worse than just picking up the remote in 99% of use cases.

The Xbox Smartglass app is a mixed bag. If I am digging down into something, like YouTube or Netflix, I like smartglass. If I am just turning up the volume or launching a game, I do not like smartglass. It's a question of "I have to overcome the bootup and connection time."

With Chromecast, there is no bootup and connection time. You literally navigate to the media and push play. I guess there is a connection time, but it's roughly the buffering time of the video + 2-3 seconds.

So, I agree with what you're saying, but I think you're missing that there is clearly a decision rule in here.

That doesn't make any sense to me, as the HBOGO app authenticates through HBO, not directly through Comcast. Yes, HBO has to then turn around and get the authentication information from Comcast, but I'm pretty sure that if HBO can get the information from Comcast for AppleTVs, XBOXs, and Samsung Smart TV apps, that HBO could get it to activate a Roku app the exact same way if only Comcast would give its permission to do so.

But then wouldn't HBO get everything, regardless of device?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grakthis

So, I agree with what you're saying, but I think you're missing that there is clearly a decision rule in here.

Even if the app connects instantly, you still have to find and open the app. The remote is right there... I can see uses for the remote control apps, but they do not replace physical remotes.

Yes, that's the point. HBO already has access to all the information they need to authenticate the HBOGO app on Roku for Comcast customers. The only reason HBO doesn't do it is because Comcast tells them not to. That's what makes it so infuriating, it's not some sort of technical issue, Comcast is just being a dick about it.

That doesn't make any sense. My suspicion would be some arcane authentication system that they use has some issue with the way Roku authenticates and bunch of engineers at the two companies are in a standoff about who has to modify what to make it work... it's probably way more boring than the conspiracy theories you like to put forward...

That's not true. The authentication system is already in place. The issue is Comcast has to approve each new device that gets HBOGo support. So it is really a political issue. This is why Directv won't approve HBOGo on Roku (because of Roku's Dish Network affiliations).

That's not true. The authentication system is already in place. The issue is Comcast has to approve each new device that gets HBOGo support. So it is really a political issue. This is why Directv won't approve HBOGo on Roku (because of Roku's Dish Network affiliations).

Interesting. Comcast should get their act together and approve all devices that support it.

If your firewall is setup in such a way that the Chromecast cannot stream, then your firewall is broken. It's a non-functional firewall. A firewall should only block EXTERNAL connections from initiating data transfers INTO your network. It should not block internal devices from initiating streams externally.

I am guessing you are not communicating something correctly here because what you're saying doesn't make much sense unless your router/firewall is configured badly or is REALLY old.

*shrug*

Beta code. I hope you didn't buy it for beta code?

It's a very limited device to the apps it has. Yep. But the apps it has work PERFECTLY and fast and better than anything else on the market, hands down.

the browser casting should not be considered a full fledged feature. It's a "hey, maybe this works sometimes?" feature. It's not supposed to be anything more than that.

The roku is brutally slow, compared to the chromecast. That's the tradeoff... it's remote controlled, does a lot, but is slow as molasses to get to content. Love the roku's flexibility, but frustrated by the interface.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarheelblue32

The FCC should make it illegal for Comcast to give the okay for HBO to authenticate some 3rd party devices but not all of them. They should not be allowed to discriminate like this for no reason.

The FCC has no jurisdiction over a streaming service which is what HBOGo is. It the same service as Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. HBO make money from the service by charging the cable/sat companies based on the number of subscribers to HBO and charge a fee for each device it install on. This apply to MaxGo, Showtime, Epix. This add up to a big chunk of money. This money that not cover by your subscription fee. The CEO of HBO has stated in an interview that they are exploring the possibility of offering HBOGo as a stand alone service.

The FCC has no jurisdiction over a streaming service which is what HBOGo is. It the same service as Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. HBO make money from the service by charging the cable/sat companies based on the number of subscribers to HBO and charge a fee for each device it install on. This apply to MaxGo, Showtime, Epix. This add up to a big chunk of money. This money that not cover by your subscription fee. The CEO of HBO has stated in an interview that they are exploring the possibility of offering HBOGo as a stand alone service.

HBOGO is considered to be part of what you get when you subscribe to HBO through your cable company. Since it is, in essence, part of your cable subscription, the FCC might arguably have some jurisdiction in this matter. But even assuming the FCC doesn't have the legal authority to do anything about this, it should still be made illegal. And if there weren't so much corruption in Congress it would be.

There is a simple answer. HBO should make authentication on ALL devices a requirement for carriage of HBO. That would put Comcast in line real quick!

That is probably exactly what HBO did to make the smaller carriers comply, but Comcast and DirecTV are too big for them to threaten in this way. When the Comcast/Time Warner merger goes through, the problem will only get worse. Comcast is already too big for content providers to stand up to when they need to. The "free market" is clearly not working in this area, and what we need is government intervention/regulation.

HBOGO is considered to be part of what you get when you subscribe to HBO through your cable company. Since it is, in essence, part of your cable subscription, the FCC might arguably have some jurisdiction in this matter. But even assuming the FCC doesn't have the legal authority to do anything about this, it should still be made illegal. And if there weren't so much corruption in Congress it would be.

The FCC does not have the authority to do anything about online streaming services.

You may be shocked to realize, but not everything has to be regulated to the core. No one does. The two companies work out an agreement. It's called free enterprise.

I'm a two time Obama voter who is in favor of classifying ISPs as a common carrier and fully supportive of FCC regulations for things like net neutrality and CableCard or it's replacement, but even I realize that not every single thing in the marketplace has to be regulated or mandated from above.

You may be shocked to realize, but not everything has to be regulated to the core. No one does. The two companies work out an agreement. It's called free enterprise.

I'm a two time Obama voter who is in favor of classifying ISPs as a common carrier and fully supportive of FCC regulations for things like net neutrality and CableCard or it's replacement, but even I realize that not every single thing in the marketplace has to be regulated or mandated from above.

I would love to have a true "free market" for telecommunications services. Unfortunately, that isn't reality in most areas of this country. So if we can't have that, then I would much rather have regulated monopolies than unregulated monopolies, and right now we have a gross under-regulation in this area.

I would love to have a true "free market" for telecommunications services. Unfortunately, that isn't reality in most areas of this country. So if we can't have that, then I would much rather have regulated monopolies than unregulated monopolies, and right now we have a gross under-regulation in this area.

Online streaming services and IP set top boxes are not an industry with a monopoly.

I absolutely agree that cable and telcos should be regulated. HBOGo, not so much.

Online streaming services and IP set top boxes are not an industry with a monopoly.

I absolutely agree that cable and telcos should be regulated. HBOGo, not so much.

The whole principle behind the FCC forcing the CableCard standard in the first place was that consumers should be allowed to use whatever set-top box they want to receive the multimedia services that they pay cable companies for. Well, the set-top box I choose to receive the HBO service that I pay Comcast for is the Roku, so Comcast should have to allow me to use it. And Comcast standing in the way of me doing this certainly violates the spirit of the law.

The whole principle behind the FCC forcing the CableCard standard in the first place was that consumers should be allowed to use whatever set-top box they want to receive the multimedia services that they pay cable companies for. Well, the set-top box I choose to receive the HBO service that I pay Comcast for is the Roku, so Comcast should have to allow me to use it. And Comcast standing in the way of me doing this certainly violates the spirit of the law.

CableCard covers linear video, and not VOD. Should every provider have to support TiVo and MCE for VOD? It's a similar thing...

CableCard covers linear video, and not VOD. Should every provider have to support TiVo and MCE for VOD? It's a similar thing...

That's because VOD really didn't exist back in 1996 when Congress passed the Telecommunications Act. If an updated Telecommunications Act were passed today, I'm sure it would cover much more than just delivery of linear channels and would include things like VOD, and we would have a single, open standard for 2-way communications like AllVid. It's too bad that Congress is apparently unable to do anything useful these days.

That's because VOD really didn't exist back in 1996 when Congress passed the Telecommunications Act. If an updated Telecommunications Act were passed today, I'm sure it would cover much more than just delivery of linear channels and would include things like VOD, and we would have a single, open standard for 2-way communications like AllVid. It's too bad that Congress is apparently unable to do anything useful these days.

I guess so. Linear video is still the core service. VOD and streaming and the like are ancillary services.